Fact Sheets on the European Union

Introduction

The aim of the Fact Sheets is to provide an overview of European integration and of the European Parliament’s contribution to that process.

The Fact Sheets were created in 1979 for Parliament’s first direct elections. Since then, they have been regularly reviewed and revised. They are intended to provide non specialists with a straightforward and concise overview of the European Union’s institutions and policies, and of the role that Parliament plays in their development. The content of these fact sheets covers six main areas: How the European Union works, Citizens’ Europe, The internal market, Economic and Monetary Union, Sectoral policies, The EU’s external relations.

Since they are short and to the point, the Fact Sheets can also be of great use to a range of professionals, civil servants and students with an interest in European Union affairs.

Readers wishing to go into greater detail are referred to more specialist works of the European Parliament, including research documents published by the European Parliament’s policy departments on the ‘Studies’ page.

This online version is reviewed and updated – as soon as the European Parliament adopts any important positions or policies – at regular intervals throughout the year.